


Carrying On

by lha



Series: Gabriel Lorca: Child-whisperer [4]
Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Baby, Baby Carrying, Extended Family, Fluff, Gen, M/M, sling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-08-17 07:08:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16511636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lha/pseuds/lha
Summary: An extended family social provides Gabriel with some new experiences.





	Carrying On

“Found it!” Paul declared, as he appeared out of the kitchen door and stepped back into the warmth of the late summer sun. Gabriel looked up from where he’d been left to monitor the grill, curious to see what it was that the younger man had disappeared back into the house mid conversation to find. 

“What on earth is that?” he asked, looking at the long length of fabric Paul was holding triumphantly.

“It’s a sling,” Paul replied crossing the grass and deftly stepping around his daughters and Michael’s girls who were playing some form of tag. “Possibly the greatest invention known to humanity. Ladies - not so close to the grill please!” he called as they went haring off to the far end of the garden.

“Yes, Papa!” “Sorry, Papa!” They called gleefully.

“I don’t need a sling,” Gabriel said cautiously. “My elbow is fine.”

“It’s not ‘fine’,” Hugh called from where he was sitting under a parasol with Michael and her husband. “It was shattered and pieced back together yesterday. Again.” This last was said with a conspiratorial eye roll towards the pregnant Burnham and Tilly who was hovering behind her gently rocking her young son.

“Ok, not _fine_ ,” Gabriel conceded with a casual gesture of the tongs he was holding in his good hand. “But I really don’t need a sling.”

“It’s not for your arm,” Paul said with an infuriating smile. “Katrina, would you be kind enough to take over at the coals.”

“I’m afraid you’ve lost me, Commander,” Gabriel said as he handed over the tongs and stood away from the heat of the barbeque.

“Well Sylvia has a newborn that’s only happy when he’s next to a heartbeat and being held upright. You hate sitting still but can’t carry anything. This is the perfect solution.”

“But…”

“Excellent thinking Paul,” Sylvia agreed as she walked towards them, the young baby resting against her chest. “Admiral Lorca can have a snuggle, and Mommy can sit down for five minutes, can’t she Andrew?” Tilly seemed so comfortable in her new motherhood that Gabriel hadn’t really thought about the strain she must be under but he could understand why a break might be appreciated and now he could hardly bring himself to protest.

“I’ll take this too,” Katrina said, snagging his bottle of beer from the nearby table, her eyes twinkling.

“You alway seem to be in the right place to steal my alcohol Katrina,” he said in faux complaint.

“Many years of training to get my own back from our Academy days,” she said with a chuckle.

“What… Never mind,” Gabriel said, turning back to the scientist. “What do you need me to do?”

“Stand there,” Paul said, shaking out the length of the fabric and finding the midpoint. “Turn around and arms out, please.” Gabriel raised his arms so that the were parallel to his shoulders, ignoring the tight ache in his right elbow. Paul reached around from behind him and wrapped the stretchy fabric snuggly around his front. “Then this end goes over here and this one goes over here,” he said, crossing the fabric across Gabriel’s back so the ends hung over his shoulders. 

“Can I put my arms down now?” he asked, hoping the lightness in his tone would cover for the fact that it was beginning to hurt. 

“You may,” Paul said, coming round to stand in front of him and arranging the long tails. “Can I have Andrew, please Sylvia?” he said scrunching the fabric around Gabriel’s middle.

“Here we go,” Sylvia said with a smile gently transferring him across so that he was lying curled on Gabriel’s chest. He lifted his good arm to cradle his padded bottom and tilted down his chin to support his lolling head as Sylvia stood back. There was something so distinct about the way he smelt; the softness of his skin, the way he almost collapsed back in on himself and his total vulnerability that was strangely compelling. He stirred against Gabriel’s shirt, snuffling uncertainly but settled quickly as Paul carefully tucked his legs beneath the band of fabric.

“Here, I’ve got him,” Paul said. “Yes, that’s it. Put your arm outside the wrap.” Gabriel tucked his arm beneath the child again as Paul pulled and tucked the fabric, up around Andrew’s ears at the top and then between his legs and Gabriel’s front at the bottom. “And then we just, hold this tail tight while we…” Paul pulled the other end over Gabriel’s shoulder several times removing all the slack before he arranged it over his shoulder around Andrew.

“Shhh darlin’,” Gabriel said quietly as he protested a little again. 

“And this one goes under this leg young sir and then we do this other one. You can let go now Gabriel, I think we’re almost there.” Tentatively, he lowered his arm, pleasantly surprised that Andrew still felt secure. “And this one goes under your other leg and then around the back and then we tie them off at the front.” 

“Just like that,” Gabriel said dryly. “How in the world does anyone do that by themselves?”

“Two working arms helps,” Paul said as he pulled out and re-arranged the fabric over Gabriel’s shoulders so that Andrew’s face was visible and his neck supported. “And practice.” 

“Paul was the sling master when ours were younger,” Hugh said coming over. “Here,” he said reaching out and pressing a hypo to his neck, “mild pain reliever for you and for you Sylvia...”

“Oh grown up juice!” she declared with over enthusiastic glee, snagging the bottle. “Now Andrew,” she said, gently cupping the back of her child’s head. “Gabriel is one of Mommy’s superior officers so look after him please.”

“I’m sure we’ll be quite fine,” Gabriel said, resting a hand on the child’s back. It was such an alien feeling, this gentle warmth of this tiny being pressed close against his chest but it was far from unpleasant.

“This was the only way I got anything done when they were little,” Paul said. “I need two arms to function and so…” 

“When one arm wasn’t enough, I just laid them on a mat on the floor.” Hugh whispered conspiratorially. “Until they mastered crawling…” he added with a frown.

Gabriel drifted a little as Hugh and Paul started telling Katrina stories of mutual near catastrophe. The sound of her laughter followed him as he walked some way away, bouncing gently, getting used to his new centre of balance. With his good arm he stroked his hand down Andrew’s back his thumb rubbing back and forth. Looking down and to the side, he could just about see the child’s features settled contentedly against his chest, one little hand escaping and curled into a gentle fist. 

He was close enough that he could place his lips on the top of Andrew’s head and almost before he had thought about it, Gabriel was doing just that. The chaste kiss lingered, that special scent and softness more intense as his nose rested amongst the fine ginger curls. It was somehow soothing and compelling in ways he couldn’t explain. The warmth of the sun on his back was nothing compared to the gentle radiating heat coming from the small body pressed against his. He tried to think how old the baby must be; he’d been on Andoria when he’d heard Sylvia had given birth, Hugh had called but it was Daisy who had been bursting to tell him that there was a new baby and that it was a boy. It couldn’t have been more than five weeks ago. 

When he’d been invited to this ‘extended family gathering’, Gabriel really hadn’t been sure what to think. Even after everything, this group, this crew, had welcomed him in and increasingly, didn’t seem to take no for an answer. Increasingly Gabriel was glad that he had mostly given up protesting. His moment of quiet contemplation was broken however, when Jess tore around a copse of trees and into his legs at full throttle.

“Easy there,” he said.

“Cap’in!” she squealed, shaking her head as though to clear it before taking a step back and peering up at him. “Baby?”

“Yes, this is Andrew,” he said, stroking the gently moving back through the fabric of the sling.

“It’s very little.” she said, standing up on her toes as though though that would help her see. Taking pity, Gabriel knelt down on the grass.

“Genty,” he said as she reached out to touch his head. “He is still very small, but he’ll grow. You were this little once too.”

“No I wasn’t!” she said with the most remarkable look of disbelief.

“You were,” Gabriel said, struggling to keep a straight face.

“You is silly, Cap’in!”

“Food’s ready!” The call came from behind them at the grill.

“Cap’in shoulders!” she demanded with glee.

“Up you get then,” he said. Using his thigh as a step, and his had as a hand hold, she clambered happily around to his back. Gabriel caught her feet as she threw first one leg then the other over his shoulders, preventing her accidentally catching Andrew.

“Hurry up!” Jess called, giggling manically as Daisy and the twins raced past them.

“Your wish is my command,” he said, standing smoothly. His long legs covered the ground quickly, his hands resting on Jess’ ankles simply to help stabalise her.

“Jessy-cat what on earth are you doing up there?” Hugh asked, coming up behind them.

“Daddy!” she called and almost instantly flopped backwards like a rag doll. The instinct to grip her ankles was strong but her weight and the momentum sent a white hot agony radiating out from his left elbow. Gabriel clung on, even as he felt her weight shift as Hugh lifted her from where she hung upside down against his back.

“I’ve got her,” the other man said and with a clear effort Gabriel loosened his grip. “Katrina would you mind?” Hugh added, handing her over.

“Ok?” he asked quietly, his hand gentle on his back.

“Not really,” Gabriel admitted with a chuckle. He flexed his arm, grimacing at the dull throb. 

“She has no sense of danger that one. Come on I’ll take another scan and check whether there’s been any damage done.

“Thanks, not sure I’ve quite mastered child wrangling.”

“Well, you didn’t let my daughter fall to her death,” Hugh said. “And this one seems quite content too so that’s a success in most people’s books.” Looking down Hugh realised that Andrew was asleep, mouth open and drooling onto his shirt. Yes, he supposed, things could be much worse.

**Author's Note:**

> Fluffy fluffy fluff fluff!  
> I hope you've enjoyed this and would love to hear your thoughts, here or on twitter @LHA_again  
> Thanks for reading!  
> Lx


End file.
